When moving to the US from the UK there are many new things to get used to and the medical system is probably one of the most confusing. Even American friends of mine are baffled by the medical insurance system in the US and can rarely help with the specifics. However, this is an attempt [...]
It is April 30th, Koninginnedag (Queen’s day). This is the one day every year where the people of the Netherlands abandon licensing laws and take to the streets to sell all their old junk. Aside from the obligatory lurid orange that must be worn I have always loved Queen’s day. Over 10 years of living [...]
What is a country to a child? For Milo, at age 4, this question is not one he can answer. If you were to ask him, he would likely answer with ”I don’t know what you talkin’ abou(t)?!” Of course Milo can’t really conceive of what a country really is, so it was interesting to [...]
Being a Dad is difficult enough, but these difficulties are compounded when we’re expats living in a foreign country. Not only do we need to get used to a different culture and language, etc., we also need to raise our child in this strange – and sometimes apparently hostile – environment. The difficulties of expatriation [...]
If you’ve been reading my blog a while you will no doubt remember how worried I was about sending Leo to school, from trying to work out where to send him, and how to enroll to his first day at his ‘big school’ it’s been quite a concern of mine. Like this?Read more… Recommended by A [...]
You may have noticed that Cyprus has been making the world news recently which is very unusual for our little island. You may have also noticed that I’ve not commented on the situation at all, something which is unusual for a blogger! Like this?Read more… Recommended by A matter of choice
Sometimes, the warnings on medicine packets (drafted by cautious lawyers with an aversion to getting sued, no doubt) contain warnings which make you wonder if it’s actually worth taking the medicine at all. Ibuprofen tablets, for example, tell you that one side-effect of this particular painkiller is… um, headaches. And bottles of emollients (used to [...]
This crazy move to the Alps was only ever going to be for a year – less, in fact, as I could take a year’s maternity leave and we didn’t move until Alpine Girl was seven weeks old. She is now nearly 11 months old so it’s time to start thinking about the next chapter [...]
Every year one of the highlights of the Cypriot calendar is Carnival time, dating back to Ancient Greek times celebrations were held in honour of the God Dionysus and in Cyprus Carnival is associated with the beginning of the fasting leading up to Easter. Celebrations run 10 days up to the final big parades on the Sunday before ‘Green Monday’ – [...]
I’ve often said becoming an expat is the closest you can get to experiencing life from the uncluttered perspective of a baby – if, and it’s a BIG “if”, you can detach yourself from preconceptions and the urge to make comparisons. Goethe said it best when he wrote: “Nothing is comparable to the new life…in [...]
What does it take to feel comfortable if you live abroad? I was recently interviewed for a television documentary about my experience as an expat. The producers were exploring the concept of home comforts; how certain objects might affect the way that people living away from their home countries feel about living abroad. After my [...]
Last week I flew back to England for four days, for the first time in nearly 3 years. I left Aaron and the boys here, as Louka does not have a passport yet and it was going to be a whirlwind trip. I was very excited about it and couldn’t wait to see my friends again. [...]
I feel slightly nauseous right now which means that it must be House Hunters Day! I’m alternating between being excited, and wondering “WTF was I thinking???” Yes, that’s right. I’ll be all across America in HD tonight at 10:30 pm EST on HGTV, so check it out… And if it goes terribly, please just lie [...]
Many, many, many moons ago (or six months), you might remember me mentioning something about doing some famewhoring in my free time. Then in August, my friend Courtney came to visit me, and we did some more stuff while a film crew followed us about. Main point being, after many, many, many months of my [...]
I am very excited to announce that my book, ‘The British Expat’s Guide to Grocery Shopping in America’ is now available in paperback as well as e-book format! Like this?Read more… Recommended by A mama with ideas…
As globe-trotting project manager with international conglomerate AECOM, it never crossed Khawar Ashraf’s mind that the rewards of expat life would include an opportunity to grace the pages of a glossy magazine. Like this?Read more… Recommended by Expatlogue
Not nearly enough is written about Borderline Personality Disorder, and often what little there is, however insightful, leaves you with a foreboding sense of the enormous obstacles preventing us from functioning on a similar level to those free of this frustrating and debilitating condition. So, I thought I’d write about how the various “gifts” of [...]
Well, they say you learn something new everyday and that’s certainly true living in Cyprus! Like this?Read more… Recommended by A matter of choice
What a night! I couldn’t be classed as a sports fan by any stretch of the imagination, but as some of you know from yesterday’s post, Monday evening saw K and I brave the cold and take the GO train to Toronto for our first ever hockey game. Hockey is to Canada what oxygen is [...]
What a year it’s been! At the beginning of 2012, who would have thought it would end the way it has?! Here I now am, heavily pregnant with boy number two! I promise you that it certainly wasn’t in my plans for the year. That said, I am thrilled to soon be welcoming Milo’s little [...]
